• 9 a.m. to noon Saturday• Check out a map of local sites at sjcleanwater.org/cleanup.htm.• Trash bags and gloves will be available, but volunteers are encouraged to bring...

» Read more

X

Coastal Cleanup Day

• 9 a.m. to noon Saturday

• Check out a map of local sites at sjcleanwater.org/cleanup.htm.

• Trash bags and gloves will be available, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own reusable containers to collect trash and their own reusable gloves.

» Social News

For three hours Saturday, go ahead and sweat the small stuff.

Volunteers have spent past Coastal Cleanup Day events hauling tires, waterlogged mattresses and even vehicles out of San Joaquin County streams.

And they've made progress.

"The big stuff is almost gone," said Cynthia Madrid, who coordinates cleanup day efforts in San Joaquin County.

Unfortunately, there's more than enough small stuff to fill the time for the roughly 1,500 people expected to participate once again.

Statewide, cigarette butts are the single most common item found on Coastal Cleanup Day, with nearly 6.5 million of them removed from the environment over the past quarter-century.

But don't forget about the hundreds of thousands of pull tabs, six-pack holders and fishing line tangles.

"We pick up every little piece of plastic," Madrid said.

Last year, a heat wave kept some volunteers at home, and private sponsorship money to market the event across California has declined, said Eben Schwartz, a statewide coordinator. As a result, the number of volunteers was the lowest since 2007.

Schwartz hopes for a rebound this year.

"There's been a lot of good buzz," he said.

You've got 12 sites to choose from in Lodi and Stockton. Some highlights:

» About 200 volunteers on the Calaveras River - including many Stagg High School students - will get a free taco for their efforts.

» Venture Academy students will not only pick up garbage along Mormon Slough in downtown Stockton but will also perform water quality tests.

» Wherever you decide to participate, you should receive a gift card for a free lunch at Chipotle.

Consider that incentive as you bend over to snatch that 7 millionth cigarette butt.